1 reason and 1 reason only, WWE has completely lost the ability to build stars. That is a direct result of WWE's failing in multiple factors including failing to build compelling mid-card/tag divisions, all of these factors lead to this. After Cena and Batista, how many true main event stars did WWE build? I can only think of two, Orton and CM Punk. In recent years it would be only CM Punk. When you have no compelling stars people stop watching, simple as.
WWE Asking Fans Why They Stopped Watching
- Thread starter i'm a cm punk girl
- Start date
THTRobtaylor
Once & Future Wrestlezone Columnist
I would point to the overbearing child friendliness of the product as being the reason I would stop watching. Not the PG rating, that in itself isn't too much of a problem but the anti-bullying campaign is a prime example of WWE trying to be "kid friendly" while being a product that essentially is based on bullies.
In the 80's and 90's they had PG yet still managed to cater to adult fans without insulting their intelligence, they had unrealistic/cartoon gimmicks but there were also gimmicks more grounded in reality and heels like Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair or Yokozuna who would come out on top more often than not - even if they lost the match. If the kids wanted to see Hogan then at least dad had someone like Roddy Piper or Rick Rude who would be that bit more adult in what they did.
In today's WWE it's all about Super Cena, "don't try this at home", "Be a Star" and only really Punk is the alternative. I can see how it's almost mandated by the networks, and is due to past controversies but ultimately WWE has lost that ability to cater to all the fans in favor of aiming at the kids - I can imagine Vince positioning for Disney to buy them out eventually rather than sustaining the "wrestling business". This Wrestlemania season demonstrated how bad things have gotten in the last year or so.
In the 80's and 90's they had PG yet still managed to cater to adult fans without insulting their intelligence, they had unrealistic/cartoon gimmicks but there were also gimmicks more grounded in reality and heels like Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair or Yokozuna who would come out on top more often than not - even if they lost the match. If the kids wanted to see Hogan then at least dad had someone like Roddy Piper or Rick Rude who would be that bit more adult in what they did.
In today's WWE it's all about Super Cena, "don't try this at home", "Be a Star" and only really Punk is the alternative. I can see how it's almost mandated by the networks, and is due to past controversies but ultimately WWE has lost that ability to cater to all the fans in favor of aiming at the kids - I can imagine Vince positioning for Disney to buy them out eventually rather than sustaining the "wrestling business". This Wrestlemania season demonstrated how bad things have gotten in the last year or so.
gooseholla
Occasional Pre-Show
I originally stopped watching a few weeks into JBL's long title run. I didn't like his character and it was getting boring. But to be honest, from the end of 2003 I had already started losing interest. Missing RAWs, rarely watching Smackdown, not buying PPVs. After this, all the top stars had left and it was down to Orton and Cena all the time. We had seen Benoit and Guerrero as champs, and all the top stars that, to me, were the WWE had left. They haven't built anyone since. It kind of shows that in all that time, it is still down to Orton and Cena and a couple of others.
Anyway... I've followed on and off since then, and why wouldn't I return to watch it?
First, storylines. They are rubbish or a re-hash. The worst is when they start one and then don't know what to do with it and just drop it, hoping you will forget. Bret Hart as GM for what, two weeks or so? Anon. GM went on FAR too long and was a huge let down when they revealed it a long time later. The same old rubbish - oh, a contract signing for WM, this isn't going to end in a fight and someone going backwards over a table, is it?!
Second, characters. It has gotten better but gimmicks are still lacking. When I stopped everyone just seemed to be a wrestler in shorts. Same character, different person. There is nothing to grip you. Before, the mid-card was strong. There were a number of guys you wanted to see fighting for the IC title, and hoped would get a title chance. We're talking 2000 - 2004. Now, who cares about half the people in the US or IC picture? Many are not going to be world champ, like Kofi Kingston. There is no believing that the future of the main event picture is going to be dominated with stars or a large talent pool to avoid anything but Cena vs .... with the odd Punk vs or Orton vs at PPVs.
Third, the title belt. It was a joke that WWE put a spinning belt out... fine, we can all see why. 7 years on, it was beyond a joke. Okay, so WWE announce a new one finally... and it is a joke. WWE have lost the plot and connection with true wrestling and true wrestling fans. The belt is merely a symbol of this. It shows in other areas of their product.
Fourth, commentators in major storylines. They really shouldn't have gotten the commentators involved in major storylines. No one wanted to see Cole the main attraction. And at the RR where they all got a spot... yawn. Saying that, I did hope that Lawler would win the belt when he fought for it.
Fifth: I echo what someone else said, it is too childish. I wouldn't want to be seen watching most of the time now. It isn't something you and your mates can get into over beers etc. It is gettng better slowly. Yes, PG isn't intrisically the problem. It is the way the product is presented and who it is aimed at.
Finally, and this has been touched on in other points, but everything seems to be a half-arsed cobbling together and rehash. Cena/Rock... HHH/Taker... HHH/Brock. They just seem to take the easy way out rather than doing anything interesting. I don't want to see Brock and HHH fight again and continue a on TV once in a blue moon fued. I don't want to see Cena vs Rock again. I would want to feel that I am getting value for my money and not the same old crap.
I am sure there are many reasons people do watch. However, I guess the dynamic of wrestling and competition has changed. I don't necessarily buy into the whole 'no competition' for WWE argument. It is an entertainment business and they are still competiting for people's money and viewing. I truly believe that we have seen it all and WWE has run out of ideas.
Anyway... I've followed on and off since then, and why wouldn't I return to watch it?
First, storylines. They are rubbish or a re-hash. The worst is when they start one and then don't know what to do with it and just drop it, hoping you will forget. Bret Hart as GM for what, two weeks or so? Anon. GM went on FAR too long and was a huge let down when they revealed it a long time later. The same old rubbish - oh, a contract signing for WM, this isn't going to end in a fight and someone going backwards over a table, is it?!
Second, characters. It has gotten better but gimmicks are still lacking. When I stopped everyone just seemed to be a wrestler in shorts. Same character, different person. There is nothing to grip you. Before, the mid-card was strong. There were a number of guys you wanted to see fighting for the IC title, and hoped would get a title chance. We're talking 2000 - 2004. Now, who cares about half the people in the US or IC picture? Many are not going to be world champ, like Kofi Kingston. There is no believing that the future of the main event picture is going to be dominated with stars or a large talent pool to avoid anything but Cena vs .... with the odd Punk vs or Orton vs at PPVs.
Third, the title belt. It was a joke that WWE put a spinning belt out... fine, we can all see why. 7 years on, it was beyond a joke. Okay, so WWE announce a new one finally... and it is a joke. WWE have lost the plot and connection with true wrestling and true wrestling fans. The belt is merely a symbol of this. It shows in other areas of their product.
Fourth, commentators in major storylines. They really shouldn't have gotten the commentators involved in major storylines. No one wanted to see Cole the main attraction. And at the RR where they all got a spot... yawn. Saying that, I did hope that Lawler would win the belt when he fought for it.
Fifth: I echo what someone else said, it is too childish. I wouldn't want to be seen watching most of the time now. It isn't something you and your mates can get into over beers etc. It is gettng better slowly. Yes, PG isn't intrisically the problem. It is the way the product is presented and who it is aimed at.
Finally, and this has been touched on in other points, but everything seems to be a half-arsed cobbling together and rehash. Cena/Rock... HHH/Taker... HHH/Brock. They just seem to take the easy way out rather than doing anything interesting. I don't want to see Brock and HHH fight again and continue a on TV once in a blue moon fued. I don't want to see Cena vs Rock again. I would want to feel that I am getting value for my money and not the same old crap.
I am sure there are many reasons people do watch. However, I guess the dynamic of wrestling and competition has changed. I don't necessarily buy into the whole 'no competition' for WWE argument. It is an entertainment business and they are still competiting for people's money and viewing. I truly believe that we have seen it all and WWE has run out of ideas.
MWRedskins
Mid-Card Championship Winner
well, i didnt stop watching it, but ways to improve it are easy. Some will say too many titles, i disagree. i like the two belts. anyways, one way to improve is to seperate the shows again and move it to two hours on RAW. another way to improve is end the lame segments example, Hornswoggle. two, make the titles important. have nice, well known feuds for the IC and US title. Rock and Stone Cold had a great feud over the IC title, do the same with Barrett and whoever you get to feud with him and then do the same with the US title. make a number one contenders match feel important. dont have the mid card champs job as much as they do. get some divas who can actually wrestle or bring some back and finally, make some real tag teams and dont seperate them. we have the Shield, Bryan and Kane and The Rhodes Scholars. make other teams or bring them out of NXT.
Too much writing, toom any promos and skits, not enough actual wrestling. When you have 3-4 matches in a 3 hour show that is way too few. Maybe it's me, but I grew up watching hour long programs that had 4-5 matches and barely any promos.
They emphasize the entertainment aspect too much of the sports entertainment industry, they've forgoten that they don't need these huge convoluted stories to get people over or to explain a characters motivations. It used to be as simple as, you have the belt I want it lets fight, then the match is on. You would get some small pieces of the background of the character between matches but they weren't the focus they were extras to add to your like/dislike of a character instead of being the main focus.
Since they've gone public, it seems to me that they've become ashamed of the wrestling aspect of the business and want to air it as a regular show, with the occassional match thrown it. It's too soap opera and not enough sport. This leads to lackluster events like Wrestlemania when the sport side is supposed to shine through but the taletn has been pushed to far to emphasize the story telling that they can't make the turn again and shine in the sport side.
They emphasize the entertainment aspect too much of the sports entertainment industry, they've forgoten that they don't need these huge convoluted stories to get people over or to explain a characters motivations. It used to be as simple as, you have the belt I want it lets fight, then the match is on. You would get some small pieces of the background of the character between matches but they weren't the focus they were extras to add to your like/dislike of a character instead of being the main focus.
Since they've gone public, it seems to me that they've become ashamed of the wrestling aspect of the business and want to air it as a regular show, with the occassional match thrown it. It's too soap opera and not enough sport. This leads to lackluster events like Wrestlemania when the sport side is supposed to shine through but the taletn has been pushed to far to emphasize the story telling that they can't make the turn again and shine in the sport side.
Been thinking about this since the post was first made, and I think I finally know what I would tell them if I had the chance. Of course, I am still watching, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy.
1. Stop relying on past and part time guys to carry the show. Invest in making some of the current talent into true stars. I don't mind occasional appearances, but HHH and Lesnar should not be in a headline match at Mania. Why should I care when they will be gone again in a month?
2. Reduce the number of titles. Having a World Champ and WWE Champ was fine when there was brand split. Now that there are no longer two brands, with exclusive talent to each, there is no need for two titles. On a related note, make the other titles meaningful again. There were some great feuds over the US and IC titles over the years, bring them back to prominence.
3. Cut back to 6 PPV events a year, one every other month. Use the time in between to really build them so they feel special. When there is PPV, something big needs to happen. Too many events over the past few years have just been shows that had no impact on anything. If you want me to pay for these events, make it affordable by having less of them and make them mean more.
4. Stop burying good talent. Kofi Kingston spent the last 5 months being a jobber and now he's the US champ? Yeah right. Zach Ryder is tremendously popular, he did that mostly on his own. Your reaction was to make him a jobber. Real Smart.
5. Consistency. Some of us do remember things from week to week or even year to year. Too many things are overlooked or just treated like they never happened. If Big Show is a monster, then he should always be a monster. Not a monster for 6 months, then a jobber for the next 6. I need to believe what I am watching.
6. Wrestling is not a sitcom. I am not interested in watching a bunch of old legends dance backstage so Ron Simmons can walk in and say Damn!
7. Bring back managers. Real managers like Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart and Sensational Sherri. Vickie Guerrero is over, but as a GM, she makes no sense. What company would allow someone who acts as a heel to be the boss? It is not believable to have heel GMs. Use those people as managers instead where they can help get talent over.
8. The Diva's. Use them. Allow them to have tv time and develop real characters. There are a lot of talented female wrestlers out there. SIgn them and build a real women's division again.
9. Put Jim Ross back on commentary. No one else brings the quality of the show up like JR does.
10. STOP trying to be an entertainment company and focus on wrestling. I'm not even gonna try to explain this one, it should be obvious.
1. Stop relying on past and part time guys to carry the show. Invest in making some of the current talent into true stars. I don't mind occasional appearances, but HHH and Lesnar should not be in a headline match at Mania. Why should I care when they will be gone again in a month?
2. Reduce the number of titles. Having a World Champ and WWE Champ was fine when there was brand split. Now that there are no longer two brands, with exclusive talent to each, there is no need for two titles. On a related note, make the other titles meaningful again. There were some great feuds over the US and IC titles over the years, bring them back to prominence.
3. Cut back to 6 PPV events a year, one every other month. Use the time in between to really build them so they feel special. When there is PPV, something big needs to happen. Too many events over the past few years have just been shows that had no impact on anything. If you want me to pay for these events, make it affordable by having less of them and make them mean more.
4. Stop burying good talent. Kofi Kingston spent the last 5 months being a jobber and now he's the US champ? Yeah right. Zach Ryder is tremendously popular, he did that mostly on his own. Your reaction was to make him a jobber. Real Smart.
5. Consistency. Some of us do remember things from week to week or even year to year. Too many things are overlooked or just treated like they never happened. If Big Show is a monster, then he should always be a monster. Not a monster for 6 months, then a jobber for the next 6. I need to believe what I am watching.
6. Wrestling is not a sitcom. I am not interested in watching a bunch of old legends dance backstage so Ron Simmons can walk in and say Damn!
7. Bring back managers. Real managers like Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart and Sensational Sherri. Vickie Guerrero is over, but as a GM, she makes no sense. What company would allow someone who acts as a heel to be the boss? It is not believable to have heel GMs. Use those people as managers instead where they can help get talent over.
8. The Diva's. Use them. Allow them to have tv time and develop real characters. There are a lot of talented female wrestlers out there. SIgn them and build a real women's division again.
9. Put Jim Ross back on commentary. No one else brings the quality of the show up like JR does.
10. STOP trying to be an entertainment company and focus on wrestling. I'm not even gonna try to explain this one, it should be obvious.
The Gribbler
Gribble me this, Gribble me that...
Although I never stopped, I no longer actually watch the product as I did before. I tune in for raw, and Pay-Per-View highlights, then the big four. I don't even watch smackdown anymore...
I think it was just inconsistencies for me. The booking seems so quickdraw. This guy is getting a push, oh no he isn't, new champ, just lost...
It stopped making sense.
Furthermore the lower card stopped being half decent. The midcard is okay, Miz and Barrett, but back in the day, I had mad love for every part of the card. Start to finish I thought it was watchable. Not so much anymore.
Just My Opinion.
I think it was just inconsistencies for me. The booking seems so quickdraw. This guy is getting a push, oh no he isn't, new champ, just lost...
It stopped making sense.
Furthermore the lower card stopped being half decent. The midcard is okay, Miz and Barrett, but back in the day, I had mad love for every part of the card. Start to finish I thought it was watchable. Not so much anymore.
Just My Opinion.
I think the reason is a combination of things;
1}Lack of stars. Self explanatory; stars have not been consistently made and booked going forward. Which is why these "Attitude Era" stars have to keep coming back to boost interest in the current product. People are pushed and depushed on whims and impulsive politicking. If it were based on crowd reaction, guys like Zack Ryder would have been World Champion long ago.
2}WWE does not listen to their audience anymore; Again, it's pretty straight forward logic. Not listening to fans=no interest. Certain people are shoved down our throats while the better ones are held down or not used at all. Back when wrestling was more popular aka Attitude Era, fan reaction was the be-all and end-all of your career. Now, it is more about the WWE machine and who plays politics than actual skill or merit. Just look at how long it took a great talent like CM Punk to become a big name star in the WWE system. He busted ass for a long time and only after his infamous "pipe bomb promo" did he get any recognition majorly and it took him venting his frustrations in real life to get noticed by those in charge of pushes. Which brings me to my next point:
3}The "PG era". Character are not relatable because they aren't realistically edgy like during the famed "Attitude era". Kids may love the WWE current product because it is aimed at them and the characters are cartoony. No one over the age of 12 wants to see that and most older fans have probably long since tired of it. I know I have. It is much easier to connect with an audience being real than cartoony. WWE has strayed away from what made them famous and fans will always see through that.
4}The "creative team". When your major stars in the last 10 years like Steve Austin[when he walked out in 2002] and CM Punk are ripping those responsible for booking our content each week, WWE is doomed to fail before it ever really gets a chance. WWE has lacked any major competition and because of this, their creative team and even management has become complacent. You cannot run a show on auto-pilot just because it has been popular for many years, which is what WWE have been guilty of since around 2004 or 2005. Jusk ask yourself; how long has it been since a truly GREAT moment happened in WWE? Rock returning? CM Punk's "pipe bomb"? Aside from those, what else? You'd be hard pressed to find a moment worthy of comparing to older great moments because of the inferior quality of the shows. And where does that come from? You guessed it, "creative"! It seems like most of these writers have no actual knowledge of wrestling, it's long history, and what fans want to see. It is assumed that these writers know what they are doing when most long-term wrestling fans can tell you otherwise. I have been wondering for the longest time if any of these "writers" are even fans of wrestling at all. Because it does not show in their results. Until WWE have a finger on the pulse of the true "WWE Universe" and not some forced notion of it, we will never get a truly great product again.
5}Last, but not least is forgotten heritage and history. WWE started this when they broke away from "World WRESTLING Entertainment" in favor of "WWE". They spit all over tradition and their roots when they did that and most fans can again see through it. WWE would rather trend on Twitter or have Facebook followers than to put on a quality product with in-ring competition telling entertaining stories. When you take that away, what's the point?
Don't get me wrong, I am and will always be a WWE fan. But their current product is piss poor and substandard at best and will never improve until major changes are made to reflect what fans want as opposed to what management wants. Two very different things.
1}Lack of stars. Self explanatory; stars have not been consistently made and booked going forward. Which is why these "Attitude Era" stars have to keep coming back to boost interest in the current product. People are pushed and depushed on whims and impulsive politicking. If it were based on crowd reaction, guys like Zack Ryder would have been World Champion long ago.
2}WWE does not listen to their audience anymore; Again, it's pretty straight forward logic. Not listening to fans=no interest. Certain people are shoved down our throats while the better ones are held down or not used at all. Back when wrestling was more popular aka Attitude Era, fan reaction was the be-all and end-all of your career. Now, it is more about the WWE machine and who plays politics than actual skill or merit. Just look at how long it took a great talent like CM Punk to become a big name star in the WWE system. He busted ass for a long time and only after his infamous "pipe bomb promo" did he get any recognition majorly and it took him venting his frustrations in real life to get noticed by those in charge of pushes. Which brings me to my next point:
3}The "PG era". Character are not relatable because they aren't realistically edgy like during the famed "Attitude era". Kids may love the WWE current product because it is aimed at them and the characters are cartoony. No one over the age of 12 wants to see that and most older fans have probably long since tired of it. I know I have. It is much easier to connect with an audience being real than cartoony. WWE has strayed away from what made them famous and fans will always see through that.
4}The "creative team". When your major stars in the last 10 years like Steve Austin[when he walked out in 2002] and CM Punk are ripping those responsible for booking our content each week, WWE is doomed to fail before it ever really gets a chance. WWE has lacked any major competition and because of this, their creative team and even management has become complacent. You cannot run a show on auto-pilot just because it has been popular for many years, which is what WWE have been guilty of since around 2004 or 2005. Jusk ask yourself; how long has it been since a truly GREAT moment happened in WWE? Rock returning? CM Punk's "pipe bomb"? Aside from those, what else? You'd be hard pressed to find a moment worthy of comparing to older great moments because of the inferior quality of the shows. And where does that come from? You guessed it, "creative"! It seems like most of these writers have no actual knowledge of wrestling, it's long history, and what fans want to see. It is assumed that these writers know what they are doing when most long-term wrestling fans can tell you otherwise. I have been wondering for the longest time if any of these "writers" are even fans of wrestling at all. Because it does not show in their results. Until WWE have a finger on the pulse of the true "WWE Universe" and not some forced notion of it, we will never get a truly great product again.
5}Last, but not least is forgotten heritage and history. WWE started this when they broke away from "World WRESTLING Entertainment" in favor of "WWE". They spit all over tradition and their roots when they did that and most fans can again see through it. WWE would rather trend on Twitter or have Facebook followers than to put on a quality product with in-ring competition telling entertaining stories. When you take that away, what's the point?
Don't get me wrong, I am and will always be a WWE fan. But their current product is piss poor and substandard at best and will never improve until major changes are made to reflect what fans want as opposed to what management wants. Two very different things.
I would simply tell them to build new stars. I know it isn't as easy as that, but they need to try a bit harder in that area. I noticed it the most at Wrestlmania. If it wasn't for the part timers we honestly would not have been left with much as far as a card goes. I am a lifelong fan and always will be, but it just doesn't seem like we have as many stars as in the past.
I'd tell them to make the product actually cater for me instead of for themselves.
The show I'm watching doesn't seem to care what i want at all, Vince is putting on a show for an audience of himself and it's ruining my enjoyment of it. It's almost impossible to find some proper evidence of character development nowadays because Vince's ADHD style of thinking means he'll suddenly change his mind on a character and cut them off before they're ever given a chance to make me care about them, while also giving boring characters that i don't care about tons of screen time and not caring about me not caring about them.
I'd love to slap Vince in the face and tell him "I know you love (insert stale as month old piss wrestler here), but NOBODY ELSE DOES *slap* STOP GIVING THEM SO MUCH SCREEN TIME *another slap, backhand this time* you know who we like? (insert interesting wrestler who might have potential here), give them some time out there and let them connect with the audience! *slap*"
I'd also tell them that their constant bragging about themselves being trendy (which is a massive lie) and their constant claims that X event has "taken the world by storm" is alienating a lot of potential viewers for being not a part of this "trend" (which doesn't exist) and comes across as extremely dickish. Nobody likes a dick, and this company's a fucking massive one.
The show I'm watching doesn't seem to care what i want at all, Vince is putting on a show for an audience of himself and it's ruining my enjoyment of it. It's almost impossible to find some proper evidence of character development nowadays because Vince's ADHD style of thinking means he'll suddenly change his mind on a character and cut them off before they're ever given a chance to make me care about them, while also giving boring characters that i don't care about tons of screen time and not caring about me not caring about them.
I'd love to slap Vince in the face and tell him "I know you love (insert stale as month old piss wrestler here), but NOBODY ELSE DOES *slap* STOP GIVING THEM SO MUCH SCREEN TIME *another slap, backhand this time* you know who we like? (insert interesting wrestler who might have potential here), give them some time out there and let them connect with the audience! *slap*"
I'd also tell them that their constant bragging about themselves being trendy (which is a massive lie) and their constant claims that X event has "taken the world by storm" is alienating a lot of potential viewers for being not a part of this "trend" (which doesn't exist) and comes across as extremely dickish. Nobody likes a dick, and this company's a fucking massive one.
enviousdominous
Behold my diction
Oh good grief, the WWE never ceases to amaze me. They are perhaps the most pathetic company I've ever heard of.
Some of you remember the Monday Night Wars. Each show had to up its standards of content and produce more eye grabbing action and storylines. Each company could base their programming off of each other.
As we all know WCW folded for more reasons than why the south lost the civil war, I use the civil war as an example because of how the side that won trivializes the reason for their victory.
According to the North, the South lost because they promoted slavery and slavery is wrong. History lesson over, everyone gets an A.
According to the WWE, WCW went under simply because the WWE had better content in that they naturally produce better content. Wrestling history over, we are now all honorary bookers.
Vince hired up some WCW talent after the fall of WCW, and then decides that their sudden plummet in ratings was more due to their lack of expertise and less due to arrogant assholes like Mark Calloway deliberately trying to make them look bad.
Now they have apparently never watched the shit they produce, because every episode of what the fuck ever is an infomercial about how awesome John Cena is. Their athletes that have proven that they can be naturally over with the crowd have to sell to dick heads like Shaemus who have their potential forced on us. It's fourteen year olds putting on impromptu weekly productions of "Why I'm so cool" the hip hopera. It hardly ever takes itself seriously and would much rather sell a John Cena wrist band to a slow six year old than it would sell a ticket to someone who expects an entertaining show.
Here's the thing; even with all those complaints I made, I still watch Raw and Smackdown because I'm a hopeless Daniel Bryan mark. I imagine that those who can't stomach an episode have even worse things to say.
Posted from Wrestlezone.com App for Android
Some of you remember the Monday Night Wars. Each show had to up its standards of content and produce more eye grabbing action and storylines. Each company could base their programming off of each other.
As we all know WCW folded for more reasons than why the south lost the civil war, I use the civil war as an example because of how the side that won trivializes the reason for their victory.
According to the North, the South lost because they promoted slavery and slavery is wrong. History lesson over, everyone gets an A.
According to the WWE, WCW went under simply because the WWE had better content in that they naturally produce better content. Wrestling history over, we are now all honorary bookers.
Vince hired up some WCW talent after the fall of WCW, and then decides that their sudden plummet in ratings was more due to their lack of expertise and less due to arrogant assholes like Mark Calloway deliberately trying to make them look bad.
Now they have apparently never watched the shit they produce, because every episode of what the fuck ever is an infomercial about how awesome John Cena is. Their athletes that have proven that they can be naturally over with the crowd have to sell to dick heads like Shaemus who have their potential forced on us. It's fourteen year olds putting on impromptu weekly productions of "Why I'm so cool" the hip hopera. It hardly ever takes itself seriously and would much rather sell a John Cena wrist band to a slow six year old than it would sell a ticket to someone who expects an entertaining show.
Here's the thing; even with all those complaints I made, I still watch Raw and Smackdown because I'm a hopeless Daniel Bryan mark. I imagine that those who can't stomach an episode have even worse things to say.
Posted from Wrestlezone.com App for Android
Ian Flames
Dark Match Jobber
I seldom watch WWE anymore. I often read the Raw/Smackdown results, but that's about it. I stopped tuning in for several reasons:
1) Poor storylines, the feuds didn't seem to have as much passion as they once did.
2) The roster split was a bad idea.
3) I cannot stand John Cena and he has become the embodiment of the kiddie era.
4) Lack of quality matches that keep you on the edge of your seat.
In summary, I feel that the product in general has gone very flat and has become way too predictable. All the fancy pyrotechnics, relentless marketing and promotion and 3 hour Raws cannot compensate for the lack of talent, poorly written and poorly enacted storylines and a total lack of edge, with certain superstars shoved down our throats, even though it's obvious that most of the crowd are as fed up as I am.
WWE was at its best when it had actual competition. That's why I hope that TNA can get its act together and become a serious threat to WWE's popularity and can perhaps capture more of WWE's adult audience.
1) Poor storylines, the feuds didn't seem to have as much passion as they once did.
2) The roster split was a bad idea.
3) I cannot stand John Cena and he has become the embodiment of the kiddie era.
4) Lack of quality matches that keep you on the edge of your seat.
In summary, I feel that the product in general has gone very flat and has become way too predictable. All the fancy pyrotechnics, relentless marketing and promotion and 3 hour Raws cannot compensate for the lack of talent, poorly written and poorly enacted storylines and a total lack of edge, with certain superstars shoved down our throats, even though it's obvious that most of the crowd are as fed up as I am.
WWE was at its best when it had actual competition. That's why I hope that TNA can get its act together and become a serious threat to WWE's popularity and can perhaps capture more of WWE's adult audience.
The Boss
'The Boss' Of Pro Wrestling
Oh, where to begin? Well, I have always watched as much pro wrestling as possible. But the WWF was always #1 in my eyes. That is until 1992. After waiting almost 10 years for THE dream match. The most anticipated match of all time: HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN vs Ric Flair, it was finally going to happen at WrestleMania VIII. I had to buy my own ticket and find my own way there. That was very tough on myself and my friends but we made it happen. Then, after we spent all the money and made the arrangement, Vince pulls the rug out from under us essentially sticking a big middle finger in our faces. That put a huge crack in my loyalty for the WWF.
Each year that went by saw that crack grow. The WWF was no longer THE promotion in my eyes and I surely was no longer quick to spend money on it's products. I began watching fewer WWF PPVs.
Then a wonderful thing happened. HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN went to WCW. WCW gave us the match that we wanted and even though I could not be there live, I made sure that I bought the PPV. And just like that I was sold. WCW became my new home. My money was going to WCW and I began to enjoy wrestling again. I would still watch the WWF occasionally, I never forgave Vince for stealing my money.
When Vince bought out WCW I began to hate the man. I thought about all of those years in the 80s when I defended him against those who claimed that he was out to destroy the sport of pro wrestling and now I saw it for myself. I made it a point to stop watch the WWF at that point. The only - and I mean the ONLY thing that made me take another look was the return of HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN and even then I could not bring myself to by the PPVs or any products.
They say time heals all wounds. And while I won't say that I still hate Vince, I will say that I've come to hate his product. I rarely watch anymore and have been an avid supporter of TNA. But I do follow what's going on via the internet. And every time I read something I only reaffirm my desire not to watch.
The way pro wrestling as a sport has been all but banned disgusts me. The way they have relegated their championships to batons that EVERYONE gets a turn to have and many don't even have to wrestle a match (just turn in a briefcase) to become World champion makes me sick. And the way they try to bury their own history (retiring the WWF/E World Tag Team title & Women's title among other things) shows me that don't even want to be associated with the good years that we all remember.
Today's WWE is garbage and sadly the only way it will ever get better is if people stop watching WWE and start watching TNA. That's what I'm doing. I hope others will follow my lead.
Each year that went by saw that crack grow. The WWF was no longer THE promotion in my eyes and I surely was no longer quick to spend money on it's products. I began watching fewer WWF PPVs.
Then a wonderful thing happened. HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN went to WCW. WCW gave us the match that we wanted and even though I could not be there live, I made sure that I bought the PPV. And just like that I was sold. WCW became my new home. My money was going to WCW and I began to enjoy wrestling again. I would still watch the WWF occasionally, I never forgave Vince for stealing my money.
When Vince bought out WCW I began to hate the man. I thought about all of those years in the 80s when I defended him against those who claimed that he was out to destroy the sport of pro wrestling and now I saw it for myself. I made it a point to stop watch the WWF at that point. The only - and I mean the ONLY thing that made me take another look was the return of HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN and even then I could not bring myself to by the PPVs or any products.
They say time heals all wounds. And while I won't say that I still hate Vince, I will say that I've come to hate his product. I rarely watch anymore and have been an avid supporter of TNA. But I do follow what's going on via the internet. And every time I read something I only reaffirm my desire not to watch.
The way pro wrestling as a sport has been all but banned disgusts me. The way they have relegated their championships to batons that EVERYONE gets a turn to have and many don't even have to wrestle a match (just turn in a briefcase) to become World champion makes me sick. And the way they try to bury their own history (retiring the WWF/E World Tag Team title & Women's title among other things) shows me that don't even want to be associated with the good years that we all remember.
Today's WWE is garbage and sadly the only way it will ever get better is if people stop watching WWE and start watching TNA. That's what I'm doing. I hope others will follow my lead.
thank you for the post, eddie. now get your lips off of hogan's ass.
You only watched because of hogan? and stopped watching because there was no hogan/flair match at mania? In case you've been living in a cave with a blindfold and earplugs, it was hogan himself who derailed that plan, not vince. Hogan didn't want to have his suckability shown up on the biggest stage of them all to another ego maniac who also refused to job to hogan. That doesn't mean flair is that much better a wrestler then hogan really, despite what sentamentalist and flair fanatics claim. He was a good worker, who's best talent was taking bumps and making others look good but his own actual abilities were limited. People now days talk about Cena's 5 moves of doom, but honestly flair had onl 3-4 and 2 of them were bumps he took. The toss from the turnbuckle when he went upstairs and then that stupid stagger, stagger fall on his face after a series of chops or punches against him. and Hogan and flair did have some matches and interactions in WWE, just because you were stupid to buy a ticket to an event for only 1 small part of the event don't take that out on others.
You hated aman who bought a company that was going to be shut down since let's be honest by that point there was no real chance of anyone else really getting it. Sure some now talk about how they were putting together bids and investors for it, but at the time, no one else could have bought it and kept it afloat for long any way.
ANd if you support TNA because they brought in hogan, you deserve to lose your money. Bringing in Hogan, Bischoff and Flair was the WORDT thing TNA could have down as it forced them to reduce the roles of the few true stars they had made in order to submit them to that trio's egos. Add Vince Russo and you basically have your 99/2000 WCW except for even better wrestlers reduced to more pathetic writing and storylines.
You only watched because of hogan? and stopped watching because there was no hogan/flair match at mania? In case you've been living in a cave with a blindfold and earplugs, it was hogan himself who derailed that plan, not vince. Hogan didn't want to have his suckability shown up on the biggest stage of them all to another ego maniac who also refused to job to hogan. That doesn't mean flair is that much better a wrestler then hogan really, despite what sentamentalist and flair fanatics claim. He was a good worker, who's best talent was taking bumps and making others look good but his own actual abilities were limited. People now days talk about Cena's 5 moves of doom, but honestly flair had onl 3-4 and 2 of them were bumps he took. The toss from the turnbuckle when he went upstairs and then that stupid stagger, stagger fall on his face after a series of chops or punches against him. and Hogan and flair did have some matches and interactions in WWE, just because you were stupid to buy a ticket to an event for only 1 small part of the event don't take that out on others.
You hated aman who bought a company that was going to be shut down since let's be honest by that point there was no real chance of anyone else really getting it. Sure some now talk about how they were putting together bids and investors for it, but at the time, no one else could have bought it and kept it afloat for long any way.
ANd if you support TNA because they brought in hogan, you deserve to lose your money. Bringing in Hogan, Bischoff and Flair was the WORDT thing TNA could have down as it forced them to reduce the roles of the few true stars they had made in order to submit them to that trio's egos. Add Vince Russo and you basically have your 99/2000 WCW except for even better wrestlers reduced to more pathetic writing and storylines.
The 1-2-3 Killam
Mid-Card Championship Winner
I'd probably just say I'm bored, and the creative team is phoning in their work, and has been for way too long.
Breaking Bad. Game of Thrones. Mad Men. What do these shows have in common? Good writing, and a story that continues from a week-to-week basis. Things happen, there are reasons, and fans come back for more reason than they're a long-time fan. Because in real TV world, if shows do the same thing every week, they get cut. They're killed off. They're done. But WWE is immune from that. Their ratings suck, but so does the rest of the industry, and nobody is going to look past a 3.0 in this day and age. Hell, a 2.0 for Smackdown is still better than 90% of the shows out there. They have been, and are largely immune to the pressures of real TV networking.
WWE is three hours, and maybe 20-30 minutes on a weekly basis is storyline progression. The majority is just random matches, that have happened a dozen times in the past few months. How many times can they recycle Kofi Kingston against the entire freaking roster, and have that be quality programming? How many times is Dolph Ziggler or Miz going to cut the same promo about being awesome? You know - the weird contests between Sheamus and Mark Henry lately have been juvenile, but at least they're different than watching them have half a dozen squatch matches, and a blowoff on PPV that doesn't mean anything.
I used to respect WWE because, even though a lot of their programming isn't great, they still have to write at least five hours of TV content every freaking week. Nobody has to do that. Not a single show has ever had to do that. Not even Conan or Leno's writers have to work that hard; even if they did, the show is all derived from pop culture and recent news anyways. But the thing is, WWE is boring. TNA is largely boring too. That's why wrestling fans "drop off" in their 20-something stages; the product just gets way too repetitive, and because writers are terrible and they can't come up with anything new, there's no point in watching. I've seen John Cena have the same match over 100 times. I've seen Randy Orton have the same feud 50 times. I've Tweeted the same frustrating sentiment about Great Khali matches at least 45 times.
I'm bored. A lot of people are bored. Do they have to change the product to accommodate me? No, absolutely not. I could stop watching tomorrow, and they'd be just fine for it. They're going to keep being fine for a very long time. They can keep recycling Superstars/Main Event/ECW/Velocity and bring in 1.0's to make a quick buck from now until the end of time. Which is why I think CM Punk was so healthy for the product from 2010-2012. It was something - maybe not "new" - but refreshing. Then Rock won the belt, defended it twice, and passed things back to John Cena. Who I have no real problem with, except that he defines the very problem I'm talking about. Same thing. All the time. It's fine for business when you want to keep doing the same numbers, running the same stories, and generally never want to give a shit about the quality of product you are putting out. Cena sells, end of discussion. If it's not broken, don't fix it. But that's their attitude towards it, and because of that I'm just bored out of my mind. The only thing I watch for is the chance of a good match on Raw, and potentially something interesting with The Shield.
Breaking Bad. Game of Thrones. Mad Men. What do these shows have in common? Good writing, and a story that continues from a week-to-week basis. Things happen, there are reasons, and fans come back for more reason than they're a long-time fan. Because in real TV world, if shows do the same thing every week, they get cut. They're killed off. They're done. But WWE is immune from that. Their ratings suck, but so does the rest of the industry, and nobody is going to look past a 3.0 in this day and age. Hell, a 2.0 for Smackdown is still better than 90% of the shows out there. They have been, and are largely immune to the pressures of real TV networking.
WWE is three hours, and maybe 20-30 minutes on a weekly basis is storyline progression. The majority is just random matches, that have happened a dozen times in the past few months. How many times can they recycle Kofi Kingston against the entire freaking roster, and have that be quality programming? How many times is Dolph Ziggler or Miz going to cut the same promo about being awesome? You know - the weird contests between Sheamus and Mark Henry lately have been juvenile, but at least they're different than watching them have half a dozen squatch matches, and a blowoff on PPV that doesn't mean anything.
I used to respect WWE because, even though a lot of their programming isn't great, they still have to write at least five hours of TV content every freaking week. Nobody has to do that. Not a single show has ever had to do that. Not even Conan or Leno's writers have to work that hard; even if they did, the show is all derived from pop culture and recent news anyways. But the thing is, WWE is boring. TNA is largely boring too. That's why wrestling fans "drop off" in their 20-something stages; the product just gets way too repetitive, and because writers are terrible and they can't come up with anything new, there's no point in watching. I've seen John Cena have the same match over 100 times. I've seen Randy Orton have the same feud 50 times. I've Tweeted the same frustrating sentiment about Great Khali matches at least 45 times.
I'm bored. A lot of people are bored. Do they have to change the product to accommodate me? No, absolutely not. I could stop watching tomorrow, and they'd be just fine for it. They're going to keep being fine for a very long time. They can keep recycling Superstars/Main Event/ECW/Velocity and bring in 1.0's to make a quick buck from now until the end of time. Which is why I think CM Punk was so healthy for the product from 2010-2012. It was something - maybe not "new" - but refreshing. Then Rock won the belt, defended it twice, and passed things back to John Cena. Who I have no real problem with, except that he defines the very problem I'm talking about. Same thing. All the time. It's fine for business when you want to keep doing the same numbers, running the same stories, and generally never want to give a shit about the quality of product you are putting out. Cena sells, end of discussion. If it's not broken, don't fix it. But that's their attitude towards it, and because of that I'm just bored out of my mind. The only thing I watch for is the chance of a good match on Raw, and potentially something interesting with The Shield.
Good point about ratings. Doing a 3.0 now is comparable to a 4.5 or higher in the late 90's. There are way more channels and other viewing options with the Internet and widespread pirating that so called traditional ratings systems are just a wash now.
Actually you have this backwards. your lucky now on a 3 hour raw to get as much of an hour of actual matches with 2 hours of promos, backstage interview, prematch, postmatch and so on. I would rather see so called random matches that are high quality then poor quality matches set up with 10 minutes of physical interaction over a month balanced against 4-5 hours of the guys mouthing off at each other.
I don't understand the love for the shield. it's the same tired old thing you were complaining about for most of this last part of your post. Outside duo/trio/group come in attacking all level of the cards faces claiming that they are going to take over,cleanup, or beat down everyone and no one is going to stop them. It's been done to death. It was old in the 90's when NWO did it, it was old when they split between Wolfpac and BnW, the entire DX garbage, and it was old during the invasion angle, the Higher Power/corporate ministry, and it was old when Angle had his group with Haas and Benjamin, then Evolution, then Legacy, then SEC, Nexus, Corre, and now it's Shield's turn. It's all the same old shit, different package.
GeneralKarim
Ass Man
Well I havent stopped watching, yet. As a lot of people have said, I'm just getting fkn bored.I'm 23 and I dont enjoy wrestling like when I was younger and I wouldnt care about much.
Now I care about wrestlers, or I want to care but then WWE buries them or just fucks up like they almost always do.
People have basically said all the reasons that someone would stop.
No characters whatsoever, Ziggler is getting burried and is looking just ridiculous, I dont know what they are doing with him.No Tag-Team Division ( sorry just cause we got Hell No doest mean we got a tag team DIVISION ).
There is basically nobody to root for besides heels. I mean who are you gonna root for Sheamus?In the feuds he's had ? Hell no.
Who SuperCena who basically got handed the WWE champion at mania?
What faces are there?Kofi?..That ship has sailed
There are no faces to root for. You can only get behind heels because they are a bit interesting.
The only face I would get behind is Daniel Bryan.Cause I pretty much Hate CM Punk face run as he basically became as docile as can be for a big part of it.
There is nobody to root for, because we arent given reason enough to care.
Me and my best friend have a tradition, he doesnt really watch wrestling, and I can understand why but he watched for a period so he knows what''s up so we watch every year Summerslam/Wrestlemania ( or a PPV that has a match that would interest us both ) and for a few years now besides Undertaker matches we are left dissapointed or expecting a whole lot more.
This was the first Wrestlemania we both basically had like no expression on our faces when it ended.It was so bad, yet it made the most money.It felt like a chore.
I dont buy the product, I just torrent it.I dont think this product is worth investing money into. I mean I'd rather buy a video game for any amount of money I would spend on wrestling.At least I can actually have fun.Something I have not had while watching WWE for some time now.
I was watching NXT/Superstars and the usual religiously at somepoint but now it is unbearable.I watch only RAW and Smackdown and I like skip through more than half.
O and if I hear "Fandangoing" one more time.....jesus christ...talk aboout shoving down our throuts..WWE is making me hate Johnny Curtis.Tho he's lucky he has that meniacal (dexter like ) vibe to him, which I like.
Now I care about wrestlers, or I want to care but then WWE buries them or just fucks up like they almost always do.
People have basically said all the reasons that someone would stop.
No characters whatsoever, Ziggler is getting burried and is looking just ridiculous, I dont know what they are doing with him.No Tag-Team Division ( sorry just cause we got Hell No doest mean we got a tag team DIVISION ).
There is basically nobody to root for besides heels. I mean who are you gonna root for Sheamus?In the feuds he's had ? Hell no.
Who SuperCena who basically got handed the WWE champion at mania?
What faces are there?Kofi?..That ship has sailed
There are no faces to root for. You can only get behind heels because they are a bit interesting.
The only face I would get behind is Daniel Bryan.Cause I pretty much Hate CM Punk face run as he basically became as docile as can be for a big part of it.
There is nobody to root for, because we arent given reason enough to care.
Me and my best friend have a tradition, he doesnt really watch wrestling, and I can understand why but he watched for a period so he knows what''s up so we watch every year Summerslam/Wrestlemania ( or a PPV that has a match that would interest us both ) and for a few years now besides Undertaker matches we are left dissapointed or expecting a whole lot more.
This was the first Wrestlemania we both basically had like no expression on our faces when it ended.It was so bad, yet it made the most money.It felt like a chore.
I dont buy the product, I just torrent it.I dont think this product is worth investing money into. I mean I'd rather buy a video game for any amount of money I would spend on wrestling.At least I can actually have fun.Something I have not had while watching WWE for some time now.
I was watching NXT/Superstars and the usual religiously at somepoint but now it is unbearable.I watch only RAW and Smackdown and I like skip through more than half.
O and if I hear "Fandangoing" one more time.....jesus christ...talk aboout shoving down our throuts..WWE is making me hate Johnny Curtis.Tho he's lucky he has that meniacal (dexter like ) vibe to him, which I like.
CrucifiedRaven
The Evenflow Effect
Two words: John Cena
Seriously, do I need to explain more, or will I get flagged?
I stopped watching after WrestleMania21 when John Cena debuted that kid's toy of a belt.
He was forced down our throats at that time, even though he wasn't fully over. He was probably the first WWE champion to hold the title who wasn't actually over. And he hasn't been over as a top face ever since. People just assume that's what he is because WWE has spent the last nine years telling everyone that's what he is.
He isn't a fraction as over as Hogan, Austin, Rock or even Hart or Michaels. And he never will be.
Me and about 2 million people stopped watching RAW every week when we were forced to believe that John Cena was as good as these guys.
Seriously, do I need to explain more, or will I get flagged?
I stopped watching after WrestleMania21 when John Cena debuted that kid's toy of a belt.
He was forced down our throats at that time, even though he wasn't fully over. He was probably the first WWE champion to hold the title who wasn't actually over. And he hasn't been over as a top face ever since. People just assume that's what he is because WWE has spent the last nine years telling everyone that's what he is.
He isn't a fraction as over as Hogan, Austin, Rock or even Hart or Michaels. And he never will be.
Me and about 2 million people stopped watching RAW every week when we were forced to believe that John Cena was as good as these guys.